The inability of any patient to breath is a life or death situation. Oxygen must immediately be forced into the patient's lungs otherwise the patient will die.
With the patient lying prone, a laryngoscope is positioned with the blade in the patient's mouth lying against the tongue and extending to the epiglottis and both the tongue and epiglottis are pulled forward and the tongue depressed to expose the vocal cords. Attempts are then made to introduce an endotracheal tube past the vocal cords into the trachea, either with or without the use of an endotracheal tube introducer. In many instances, the vocal cords and tissues of the pharynx are "taut" and passage therebetween of any structure of considerable cross-sectional area relative to the space, of the pharynx or between the vocal cords, is very difficult. The use of the endotracheal tube introducers previously proposed, and over which introducer the endotracheal tube rides, is not effective in all situations. Particularly, they have not provided the reliability and effectiveness in situations where the vocal cords have "seized" or an anatomic narrowing of the pharynx passage occurred which passage would not "open" for the passage of the endotracheal tube riding over the endotracheal tube introducer. In that case, the cross-sectional area of the endotracheal tube approaches that of the pharynx, restricting the pharynx for accurate placement of the endotracheal tube, and precluding manoeuverability in the pharynx for proper placement. In one particular case, the vocal cords could not be forced, despite repeated attempts at intubation, and the patient died.
Furthermore, because the endotracheal tube rides over the guide, the effect of the attempted intubation on the vocal cords and surrounding tissue (anatomic fold and oedema) is as if the endotracheal tube were inserted without the guide--the tissue and cords are traumatized.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an endotracheal tube introducer which is highly reliable and effective and which causes minimal trauma to the vocal cords and surrounding tissue.